December 15th, 2009

Reports the Herald-Standard:

Two Republican candidates for upcoming federal elections said health care needs to be kept out of the hands of government.

Retired U.S. Army Lt. Col. William Russell, a candidate for U.S. Congress and an opponent of Democratic incumbent U.S Rep. John P. Murtha, and Peg Luksik, who is running for U.S. Senate against Democratic incumbent Arlen Specter, hosted a health-care forum Monday in Uniontown.

The purpose of the forum was to educate the public about the health-care reform proposed by the Obama administration.

Russell and Luksik, joined by Dr. Jeffrey James and physical therapist Kevin Sweeney, also discussed the impact the proposed legislation will have on working, middle-class citizens.

Russell said federal law, passed as part of the stimulus bill, mandates all hospitals and doctors to keep electronic health records.

The current law also gives government bureaucrats power over medical professionals and hinders them in doing their job, he said.

Russell said federal government already has plans in place to take over health care and that the proposed legislation will increase costs, skyrocket debt, destroy jobs with tax hikes and mandates and cut seniors’ Medicare benefits.

Luksik, who has read the entire 2,000-page health-care bill, spoke in detail about the proposed legislation that the U.S. House of Representatives passed in less than one week. The bill is currently being discussed in the U.S. Senate.

“We need the federal government to be less involved in health care,” Luksik said.

Read more at the Herald-Standard.